Kristin Loong

Sunday, 4 October 2015

Hello everybody! I hope you've enjoyed reading my last two posts on London because this week, I'm back with another one. This time, I went during the beginning of June where it's early summer and the sun's just shining in your face.

This is at a departmental store called Liberty London right on Regent St.

I absolutely love the flowers outside the store and to be honest, I passed by this store just to get the shots above and below.

This is the Cereal Killer Cafe on Brick Lane in Shoreditch area.

It actually took us a while to find it because there isn't a huge signboard outside but look at all these amazing cereals!

I ordered the Unicorn Poop which was £4.80 (I know, it's ridiculous for a bowl of cereal but I keep telling myself it's a one time thing so that's fine)
I feel like it was a bit too sweet for me but give it a try anyway if you're there!

Stopped by Old Spitalfields Market while we were in the area.

London Eye from Embankment area. It was such a nice day to be out and about, really.

We then watched Wicked the musical in Apollo Victoria theatre (just opposite Victoria station) and it was bloody wicked!

Dinner was at Shoryu Ramen on Regent St.
I ordered the Shoryu Ganso Tonkotsu which was their signature ramen and it was amazing. AMAZING.

We visited Hyde Park the next day and I wrote a blog post about it.
(you can click here to check it out)
We had a picnic on the grass, walked around the park afterwards and even made daisy bracelets.
Fun times.

Such a beautiful day out.

Found a bit of London's sky while walking around Covent Garden.
Don't avoid puddles, sometimes they make great pictures!

This was taken on the longest day of the year – 20 June.
This was actually the second time I visited London in June after my travels to Switzerland and Paris (respective blog posts are up, just scroll down to check it out) and was about to go back to Malaysia.

Heathrow Terminal 4.

Ending this post with one of my favourite pictures of this trip. Was waiting so long for a family to leave the area then this guy came and wouldn't leave too. Oh well, I guess it'll have to do.

Anyway, I also want to point out that second year of university is starting for me tomorrow and I may or may not have the time to update this blog as frequently as I would like so bear with me.

Sunday, 27 September 2015

As this post goes up, I'd be flying over Italy en route to London. I'm back in UK for another year of studies and adventures. Today's post is dedicated to the time I spent my first Christmas and New Years in a foreign land, or more specifically, LONDON.

Also, shoutout to Hui Si and Jia Wen for being such great hosts during my time in London. To many more lamb chop adventures to come!

We first went to Covent Garden and blimey, look how big this Christmas tree is!

(blurred on purpose of course)

The bottom of the tree was already way above my head.

Huge shiny baubles hanging above our heads.

This is Harrods by night.

There were so many lovely Christmas decorations on the window display.

Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park.

It's a carnival type thing held every year from November to January where there are many stalls for food, games and even an ice-skating rink, a circus and a ferris wheel.

The churros there were absolutely on point. I'd definitely be back for more.

Borough Market with The Shard behind.

In one of the many tunnels we had to walk through.

St Paul's Cathedral.

Reflections off the glass windows.

Literally ran across a few roads to capture this shot, and you guessed it – no filter.

Brilliant, isn't it?

Lord Nelson must have had a wonderful view of the sunset that day.

Took this shot outside Westminster tube station but I was being impatient (and also we were asked to move out of the way) so I moved my camera before the shutter closed.

Ended up with a shot looking like Big Ben teleported from somewhere else.

The first of the spectacular New Years Day countdown fireworks.

"Look there's Big Ben hiding in the corner!"

Blur on purpose.

All photos of the fireworks were taken without a tripod.

Seeing these photos makes me excited for the festive season already!

Tip: if you're planning to be in London during this festive season, plan your journey well.

1. Tickets for the best spot to catch the fireworks (Embankment area) always sell out fast.

It's £10 a piece so be sure to keep an eye out for that.

2. There is no public transport running during Christmas Day. Most shops will also be closed.

3. Some activities such as the ice-skating rink at Winter Wonderland or Somerset House needs booking in advance to avoid disappointment.

4. Shops open at 12 midday on Sundays and close at 6pm (this is basically year round)

Sunday, 20 September 2015

Today we walk down a memory lane to exactly a year ago where I visited London for the first time. Since young, it has always been a dream to see this city.

Ah how time flies! Even if it has been a year since then, I still remember my travels clearly because each photo has a different story to tell, and by that I mean the photographer's feelings when the shot was taken, or what they saw just before/after the shot was taken or what inspired the shot.

We took a direct flight using an A380 from KLIA to London Heathrow. The flight took 13 hours.

This was taken as we were flying over Tehran with the outside temperature of -58 degrees. I stood at the end of the lower deck of the plane to capture this shot.

Our first stop was Green Park station. The exit of the station comes out to a literally green park where we had to cross to the Buckingham Palace.

The changing of guards at the Buckingham Palace.

From Buckingham Palace, we then walked to St James's Park which was really near. It was such a lovely place with plenty of flowers, ducks and squirrels!

The London Eye by the Thames River.

Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster. This is where the UK Parliament consisting of House of Commons and House of Lords sit.

Bubbles in Trafalgar Square

One of my favourites, the Natural History Museum. Entrance to the museum was free (and so are most museums like British Museum, National Portrait Gallery and so on)

Astounded by the architecture of the buildings in London.

This is the interior of the Natural History Museum. If you are in London and haven't been to this museum, I'd definitely recommend it!

The Royal Albert Hall in all its splendour.

South Kensington area

Reflections at Southwark.

St Paul's Cathedral.

Walking on the Millennium Bridge, made famous in Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince movie.

The Tower Bridge, where the middle opens for ships and boats to pass. They say if you catch the opening of the bridge, you're really lucky and yes it opened when I was there!

I actually mistaken this for London Bridge at first but all I'm saying is that London Bridge is not falling down any time soon, I'm afraid.

Next to the Tower Bridge is the Tower of London. We didn't get the chance to enter because it was near closing time but I'd definitely come back to visit.

Ending the post with a picture of The Shard and the sun hiding behind the clouds. The Shard promises amazing views of the city from 70 floors up but the ticket prices burns a hole in my wallet. No doubt I'll definitely have to go and see the view for myself before I finish my studies here.